SANS is heading to a new venue for 2026: The Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. The event, which will take place Feb. 18 to 20, 2026, bridges the science and business of the sports & active nutrition categories. The 2025 edition was the largest to date, featuring over 40 speakers and attracting over 300 attendees from 18 countries.

One attendee of our 2025 event stated: “Even with extensive experience in the industry, I continue to learn something new at the summit. Each presenter provided unique challenges and opportunities for company growth and reinforced the adaptability of the sports and active nutrition industry.”

Another attendee stated: “It went beyond my expectations in terms of content, attendees, networking opportunities and exposure.”

Start-up Stars

As part of our content program, we are on the lookout for sports nutrition-related start-ups to join our cohort of Start-up Stars!

If you are an innovator in the space, and you are confident you can stand out in a competitive environment, then we want to hear from you!

We’re seeking consumer-facing entrepreneurial, science or technology-based start-ups to join our community. Our three winning Start-up Stars will be invited as guests of NutraIngredients to take part in the Sports and Active Nutrition Summit in San Diego.

It is FREE to ente,r and to be eligible all companies must:

• Be a start-up that is founded in the Americas (North & South America)
• Have fewer than 20 employees
• Have been founded in past 10 years
• Be independently owned. This is defined as a business that is substantially owned by its founders and/or a group of independent investors, is not quoted on AIM or any other stock market and is not a subsidiary or associated company of another business.
• By entering this competition, you confirm that, if selected as a winner, you will be available to attend the 2026 summit in-person. The event will take place in San Diego from Feb. 18 to 20. If you require a visa to travel, please review the entry requirements here to ensure you’re eligible.

For more information and to apply, please click HERE.

A booming community

The 2026 Sports & Active Nutrition Summit program features in-depth presentations and panel discussions on with expert speakers from iHerb, SPINS, Herbalife, the San Francisco 49ers, AHPA, CPG Radar, Front Row, Gifted Wellness, Amin Wasserman Gurnani, Holon Law Partners, High Performance Nutrition, the University of Arkansas, TSI Group, NNB Nutrition, PLT Health Solutions, and more.

Registration is already open for the three-day event.

Market-leading content

The Sports & Active Nutrition Summit will feature sessions focused on:

• State of the Market
• A.I. for Sports Nutrition
• Cellular Health and Energy
• Older Consumers: Maintaining Muscle, Beating Sarcopenia
• Women’s Health
• Tactical Active Nutrition
• Flavor innovations
• The Regulatory Landscape
• And more!

Despite matcha seemingly being the drink of the year, the risks to your health are now being revealed.

Recently, a woman claimed she’d been hit with a worrying side effect after ditching coffee and opting for the green tea drink instead.

The drink is made from Japanese green tea powder, and thanks to social media, it’s especially a favourite among Gen Z at the moment.

Matcha has even entered coffee shops across the UK, and you can buy the powder online to make your own matcha-infused drinks at home.

The drink is supposed to provide health benefits, such as decreasing stress and anxiety, as well as enhancing cognitive function. And apparently, it can also help those who suffer from hormonal imbalance or PCOS.

But for one American woman, she claimed her ‘matcha obsession’ sent her to the hospital.

So, what’s the issue with the drink?

It turns out that Matcha can impact your ability to absorb essential iron.

While the powder is high in antioxidants, and is known as a superfood, it also contains polyphenols or ‘super antioxidants’ called catechins that impact your iron levels.

These catechins bind to some of the types of iron in our bodies when it passes through the gut, leading to less being absorbed into the bloodstream.

When this happens, it can lead to low iron levels and a reduction in the number of healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body.

According to Dr Magali Chohan, senior lecturer in nutrition at St Mary’s University in London, matcha’s antioxidant label has made it irresistible to people.

But she said to Sky News: “These compounds can also bind to non-heme iron, the type found in plant foods, making it harder for the body to absorb.”

Low iron levels turn into iron deficiency anaemia, which can lead to symptoms like feeling tired, having trouble breathing, heart palpitations, headaches, dizziness and appearing pale.

Matcha can mess with the body’s iron absorption (Getty Stock Image)

But this might not happen to everyone who over-indulges in the drink every now and then. In fact, it’s mainly people who get iron from vegetables and not meat, like vegetarians and vegans.

However, those already low on iron should drink it at their own risk, as well as pregnant women, those on their periods, babies and people with anaemia, as per the doc.

If you’re worried about it taking away all of your iron, then don’t fear.

Dr Chohan says: “As with any trend, moderation is key.”

This could mean drinking your matcha drink hours apart, spacing it out between iron supplements, and taking vitamin C will also help with non-heme iron absorption, she said.

“It is advisable to avoid drinking matcha alongside iron-rich meals or supplements and increasing iron absorption by pairing plant-based iron with vitamin C, such as a squeeze of lemon on a salad. If in doubt, consult your GP,” she added.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reversed its position on beta-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), confirming the ingredient is lawful for use in dietary supplements.

In two letters issued on September 29th, 2025, the agency concluded that NMN meets the definition of a dietary supplement.

This overturns its earlier interpretation that excluded the ingredient under the drug preclusion clause of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C).

The reversal stems from the FDA’s analysis of the “race to market” provision, which governs whether a substance can be sold as a supplement if it is also investigated as a drug.

The agency determined there was sufficient evidence that NMN was marketed as a dietary supplement in the US before being authorised for drug investigation, meaning it can remain available to consumers.

A key factor in this landmark decision was the recognition that NMN is a naturally occurring molecule produced by the body as part of the NAD+ biosynthesis pathway.

This fundamental characteristic underscores NMN’s appropriate classification as a dietary supplement rather than a pharmaceutical drug.

The decision follows years of advocacy from industry groups including the Natural Products Association (NPA), Alliance for Natural Health USA and the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

Whilst the FDA granted parts of these petitions, it did not clarify what constitutes “substantial” clinical investigation, leaving uncertainty for future ingredients.

Industry leaders welcomed the policy shift as a win for consumer access.

However, some criticised the FDA for continuing to provide limited guidance on how it interprets the drug preclusion clause.

“This is a historic day for both the supplement industry and the consumers we serve,” said Bryan Nettles, CEO of Renue by Science.

“The FDA’s reversal confirms what we’ve known all along, that NMN is a safe, effective and lawful supplement for promoting healthy ageing and vitality.”

“This decision protects consumers from inflated pharmaceutical pricing while safeguarding the pathways for future innovation in the supplement industry.”

“We are grateful for the efforts of industry advocates and remain committed to providing innovative, science-backed products that support people’s wellness journeys.”